The editors of “The Arizona Republican” even published an editorial opinion critical of Martha McSally because she is embarrassing Republicans with her inability to comply with campaign finance laws like the rest of Arizona’s Congressional delegation. Our View: McSally must follow rules on reports:

The Republican lawmaker’s chronic inability to follow the Federal Election Commission’s rules for filing information about her campaign contributors is getting embarrassing.

It is reaching the point that it is difficult to ascribe the word “error” to her reports; this many failures begins to look intentional.

Since 2012, covering two campaign periods, McSally has received 14 letters from the FEC requiring additional information and pointing out errors and omissions.

As reported by Bill Theobald of The Arizona Republic’s Washington Bureau, her campaign has been required to file 26 amended reports, including required revisions in 14 of the 20 periodic filings in the course of the two election cycles.

Oh, but all candidates have to amend their filings, right? Yes, but no Arizona federal lawmaker comes close to demonstrating the chronic sloppiness evident in McSally’s reports. Rep. Matt Salmon has been dinged with nine notices from the FEC since 2012. No other Arizona lawmaker has received more than five.

Most of the omissions involve information about the identity of McSally’s contributors. The lawmaker properly and completely identified just 71 percent of her contributors. All other Arizona members of Congress supplied adequate information — such as addresses and occupations — for at least 90 percent of contributors.

Most frustrating of all, she is getting worse about it, not better. During the current cycle, McSally failed to report adequate information about an incredible two-thirds of her contributors.

Members of Congress do not get to be de facto “dark money” committees. McSally has a legal duty to properly report her contributors. Her former treasurer (He’s no longer on the job? A step in the right direction) suggests the errors from 2014 were the result of software issues.

The answer, then, is to ask Rep. Kyrsten Sinema or Rep. Paul Gosar — delegation members who have managed to keep their financial ducks in order — for the website of their software company.

However she resolves this matter, McSally needs to get a better grasp of what it means to follow the rules.

NB: You can cross-file this under editorial opinions that you will never see published by the Arizona Daily Star.

2 responses to “Martha McSally ‘needs to get a better grasp of what it means to follow the rules’”

Why should she, and all other politicos who disregard our laws, comply? Nothing is going to happen to her. Look at the AZ Legislature and their failure to pay the schools the inflation funding they owe from Prop 301. The people voted for the inflation funding and a judge has ordered it be paid and yet our Legislature ignores it all. This, even though they are sitting on a significant surplus. Why should they care??? There is no penalty for non-compliance!!

While the Arizona Supreme Court ruled that our lawless Tea-Publican legislature violated the law, the amount of the judgment owed was remanded to the trial court. The current FY funding formula was ruled on, and the legislature appealed that judgment to the Court of Appeals. The trial court has not yet ruled on the back payments portion — which the legislature will also appeal to the Court of Appeals. I expect that the two appeals will be consolidated so that the court can expedite it to the Arizona Supreme Court. This case is still active in the courts, which is why the legislature can get away with not paying.

However, if our lawless Tea-Publican legislature were actually serious about funding education, Governor Ducey could call a special session today and two-thirds of each legislative chamber could approve new taxes to bring education funding up to the level that the Court has deemed appropriate, as required by the Arizona Constitution. But we have an ideological extremist governor and legislature that says new taxes are off the table.

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